ervum

Latin

Etymology

Probably from a Mediterranean substrate borrowing, related to Ancient Greek ὄροβος (órobos), Proto-Germanic *arwīts.

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): /ˈer.u̯um/, [ˈɛru̯ʊ̃ˑ]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /ˈer.vum/, [ˈɛrvum]

Noun

ervum n (genitive ervī); second declension

1. bitter vetch (Vicia ervilia), and by extension other types of vetches (Vicia gen. et spp.)
   • 4 CE – c. 70 CE, Columella, De Re Rustica XI.II.99:

     Mense Ianuario paleas cum ervi macerati sextariis sex vel paleas cum cicerculae fresae semodio vel frondis corbem pabulatorium modiorum viginti vel paleas quantum velint et faeni pondo viginti vel adfatim viridem frondem ex siliquis et lauru vel, quod his omnibus praestat, farraginem hordeaceam dabit siccam.

Declension

Second-declension noun (neuter).

Case	Singular	Plural
Nominative	ervum	erva
Genitive	ervī	ervōrum
Dative	ervō	ervīs
Accusative	ervum	erva
Ablative	ervō	ervīs
Vocative	ervum	erva

Derived terms

• ervilia

Descendants

• Old Occitan:
  • Catalan: er, erb
  • Occitan: èrs
    • → French: ers
• Spanish: yervo, yero
• → Proto-West Germanic: *erbā (see there for further descendants)
• → Translingual: Ervum
  • → Italian: ervo

References

• “ervum”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “ervum”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers